Fleur Ferris, Seven Days, Penguin Random House, May 2022, 240 pp., RRP $16.99 (pbk), ISBN 9781761043352
Seven days to solve a century old crime.
Seven days to unearth the treasure.
Seven days to survive…
The countdown is on.
The book blurb promises fast-paced action and this book delivers. Seven Days is aimed at older readers, particularly boys, with each chapter structured like a clock counting done to the cliff-hanger ending. City kid Ben is dumped on his country cousin Josh’s doorstep by his corporate wheeler dealer Dad. As his dad leaves, Ben flicks his stopwatch on to count down the seven days until he gets picked up again. But this stay with the country relatives is different from past ones. Ben finds an old journal in the house and lifts the lid on an old family feud in the town. There are mysteries to solve, history to research, false claims to resolve and more importantly, treasure to hunt. From there on, Ben’s desire to go home turns into a desire to stay and solve the mystery before the seven days are over.
Written by ex-cop and paramedic turned author Fleur Ferris, this is a well written mystery that doesn’t come across with all the tropes of the genre. The young teens, Ben and Josh feel real with the problems they face – parents that don’t ‘get’ them, trapped emotions and all the hopes and fears that young teens have. The backdrop of country Victoria is well written into the story with the connection to the bush and wildlife. I laughed at how Josh’s park ranger Mum had a feisty boxing roo and terrifying goose in her care that tormented city kid Ben. Apparently, the author used the Mansfield Zoo as inspiration for the setting of the final scenes where the boys dodge hippos, lions and crocodiles on the treasure hunt.
I did feel the final plot twist resembled a ‘Scooby Doo’ ending. It lacked a certain amount of credibility which could have been addressed with subtle foreshadowing. On the other hand, teenage boys will love the action, will connect with Ben and won’t be able to put the book down through the life and death cliff-hanger scenes.
A ’can’t put down’ read for 10-14 year old boys mostly, but that’s not to say a thriller-seeking female couldn’t also enjoy it.
Reviewed by Stef Gemmill
